NASA classified Apollo 11 as a G-type mission. The Apollo program’s mission-type sequence used letters to describe progressively more demanding objectives, and G represented a crewed lunar landing demonstration.
Apollo 11 fulfilled the central G-type goal: landing astronauts on the Moon and returning them safely to Earth. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended in the lunar module Eagle, while Michael Collins orbited the Moon in the command module Columbia. The mission launched on July 16, 1969, landed on July 20, and splashed down on July 24.
The letters describe mission objectives rather than simple chronological labels. Apollo 9 was the D-type test of the command and lunar modules together in Earth orbit. Apollo 10 was the F-type dress rehearsal in lunar orbit, completing nearly all landing operations except the final descent. Apollo 11 then became the G-type landing mission.
Later H-type missions emphasized precision landings and systematic exploration, while J-type missions carried out extended scientific investigations with upgraded equipment and lunar rovers. Apollo 12, not Apollo 11, was the first H-type mission.